Six Women Are Suing USC for Allegedly Failing to Protect Them From Campus Gynecologist's Sexual Abuse

The LA Times is reporting that 200 professors at USC have asked for the resignation of university president C.L. Max Nikias amidst the allegations surrounding former campus gynecologist, George Tyndall, M.D. In a letter to the Board of Trustees, they write, "We call upon President Nikias to step aside, and upon the Board of Trustees to restore moral leadership to the university."

The faculty state that they write to "express our outrage and disappointment over the mounting evidence of President Nikias' failure to protect our students, our staff, and our colleagues from repeated and pervasive sexual harassment and misconduct."

They further express their belief that Nikias has "lost the moral authority to lead the university" and express doubts that he can oversee the necessary investigation into the "institutional failures that allowed this misconduct to persist over several decades." In conclusion, they as that the board, "Restore our trust in USC by standing up for its highest ideals."

Shortly after the letter was delivered, USC board Chairman John Mork released a statement supporting Nikias. "The executive committee of the board has full confidence in President Nikias' leadership, ethics, and values and is certain that he will successfully guide our community forward," he wrote. "We strongly support President Nikias’ implementation of a thorough and comprehensive action plan that addresses these issues and enables USC to continue exemplifying our Trojan Family values as we move forward."

Six women filed lawsuits against the University of Southern California on Monday, alleging that George Tyndall, M.D., who worked as the campus health clinic's full-time gynecologist for almost 30 years, "sexually victimized them under the pretext of medical care" with USC's knowledge, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Times first broke the story last week after a lengthy investigation revealed alleged abuse dating back to the 1990s, when coworkers said he was improperly photographing students' genitals. There were also complaints alleging the doctor was inserting his fingers into patients' vaginas improperly and not in the manner typical to a gynecological exam.

More recently, according to the paper, Tyndall's colleagues feared he was targeting Chinese students less familiar with American medical practices. Tyndall was suspended in 2016, and was allowed to resign with a financial payout last summer, even though an internal USC investigation showed that his "behavior during pelvic exams was outside the scope of current medical practice and amounted to sexual harassment of students." Patients were not informed, and he was not reported to the Medical Board of California.

Tyndall has denied any wrongdoing, telling the Times in interviews that his exams were appropriate. "I'm there to protect the health of Trojan women," he reportedly said. In January Tyndall renewed his California medical license.

The university told the Times that "in hindsight," USC should have reported him. The university did finally file a complaint with the medical board on March 9 after a request by Tyndall to be reinstated.

Lucy Chi filed a federal class action suit, alleging she was violated in 2012 when Tyndall inserted his fingers into her vagina. Another woman says he also inserted his fingers at the beginning of a pelvic exam and remarked on the tightness of her vaginal muscles. Chi says she realized the behavior was improper after reading the Times' investigation.

USC provost Michael Quick issued a letter Monday that apologized to patients but maintained that the university did not ignore complaints.

"It is true that our system failed, but it is important that you know that this claim of a cover-up is patently false," Quick wrote. "We would never knowingly put students in harm's way."

He says the school's senior leadership did not learn of complaints against Tyndall until 2017.